Consider The Poor?

Psalm 41:1
1Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.

We are just a few hours away from Thanksgiving. It is after Thanksgiving that I begin the "Holiday" mode! I work at my attitude to get into this season. My heart takes a long look at the bountiful blessings I have received and then see others less fortunate.

The Psalmist gives us a new perspective on the behind the scenes happenings that take place when we "consider" the poor.

Blessed is he that considereth the poor:

The Psalmist assures us of a "blessed" position when we consider the poor! To understand this portion of this verse we must define the word "consider"

The word consider means; To think carefully about! We should think very carefully about the plight of the poor. Questions like "Why are they poor", or "What caused them to become poor?".
The true answer may be complex, but ultimately most problems will be traced back to sin in one form or another.

"To bear in mind" I believe we need to bear in our mind that we will always have poor people with us. God allows us to see less fortunate people around us to remind us of His blessings. Seeing someone as being poor is a matter of perspective. I once was teaching some junior aged kids a lesson about not talking bad about others that did not have as nice things as they did. At the end of the lesson one little girl who obviously came from a home that did not have many nice things, came up and asked us to pray for her as she had been talking bad about someone she thought to be poor! God broke my heart about bearing in mind the poor around me,

"to regard with respect, thoughtfulness, and honor." I had a bit of a hard time with this one, I am to consider the poor with respect. Most of us only tolerate people who are in a class lower than what we think they should be in. I need to be more respectful to the poor. God expects us to have the attitude that plays equal with all men. When we reach out to help the poor, we should be willing to put a lot of thoughtfulness into any help we provide. What would you want if you were in their place? How would you want to be treated if you found yourself in the same place? When we approach someone that is poor we should honor them, instead of looking down upon them.

Poor

I think it would be very helpful if when we see the poor, that we train our minds and all our efforts to make sure that the gospel is presented to the poor, one reason some of the poor around us are poor is due to the choices they make because they are not saved. Anyone in this world that has not been confronted with the simple plan of salvation is indeed poor. Christians need to reach all poor (lost) people before it is too late!

The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.

When we consider the poor by actually doing something to alleviate their situation, then we will be in line for the Lord to deliver us in our time of trouble.

Have you considered the poor?